Course Information for Students

General Externship Program I

Course Credit and Grading

This is a pass/fail 2 hour course.

Prerequisites

Third Year Certification: Third Year Certification is only required for those enrolled in the program who are actively participating in court proceedings. The student must show proof that he or she has either obtained or submitted all required documentation for the third year certification prior to the student being approved for enrollment in the class.

Letter of Recommendation from a Professor: Each student must obtain a letter of recommendation from a former or current law professor. If possible, it is preferred that the letter of recommendation be written by a professor that teaches in the same or similar subject area as the placement. If this is not possible, the letter of recommendation should be written by one of the student’s Legal Reasoning and Analysis Professors. The letter must be provided to the offsite supervising attorney prior to the student being approved for enrollment in the class.

Externship Information and Duties Form: The onsite supervising attorney must complete a form outlining the student’s substantive legal duties in detail and listing that attorney’s contact information.

Course Requirements

Weekly Time Sheets: Time sheets must be completed by students and signed by their onsite supervising attorneys on a weekly basis.

Class and Individual Meetings: This is a virtual class that will meet monthly. Also, each student will meet with the offsite supervising attorney monthly to discuss that student’s externship experience.

Journal Entries: Students will be required to submit a journal entry following each class. Each journal entry shall be at least three (3) double-spaced pages or one and one-half (1 ½ ) single-spaced pages.

Evaluations: The onsite supervising attorney must complete mid-term and final evaluations of the student’s performance. Students will also be required to complete mid-term and final evaluations about the placement sites and onsite supervising attorneys.

General Externship Program II

Course Credit and Grading

This is a letter-graded 3 hour course.

Prerequisites

General Externship I: Students must have taken and passed General Externship I.

Third Year Certification: Third Year Certification is only required for those enrolled in the program who are actively participating in court proceedings. The student must show proof that he or she has either obtained or submitted all required documentation for the third year certification prior to the student being approved for enrollment in the class.

Proposed Syllabus:

Written Proposal For Placement: Each student must submit a written proposal to the offsite supervising attorney for approval. The proposal should enumerate the differences between the proposed placement and the student’s General Externship I placement. Please review the Sample GEII Syllabuslinkon TWEN.

Identify “Readings”: Within your proposed syllabus, students must submit a list identifying readings that are germane to their placement and will have to certify that they have completed the required readings by the end of the semester. Examples of readings include, but are not limited to, actual books written on the specific area of law, articles and continuing legal education manuals. The reading list should be annotated with an explanation of the link between the externship placement and the texts to ensure that the placement results in rigorous research and writing which will improve the students’ clinical skills.

Identify a “Reader”: Students must obtain a faculty member to read and grade the required twenty-five (25) page paper for this course (detailed below). The student will discuss with the Reader the proposed contents of the paper. The Reader will provide the offsite supervising attorney with a grade for the paper which will be heavily considered in determining the student’s final course grade.

Letter of Recommendation from a Professor: Each student must obtain a letter of recommendation from a former or current law professor. If possible, it is preferred that the letter of recommendation be written by a professor that teaches in the same or similar subject area as the placement. If this is not possible, the letter of recommendation should be written by one of the student’s Legal Reasoning and Analysis Professors. The letter must be provided to the offsite supervising attorney prior to the student being approved for enrollment in the class.

Externship Information and Duties Form: The onsite supervising attorney must complete a form outlining the student’s substantive legal duties in detail and listing that attorney’s contact information.

Course Requirements

Weekly Time Sheets: Time sheets must be completed by students and signed by their onsite supervising attorneys on a weekly basis.

Class and Individual Meetings: This is a virtual class that will meet monthly. Also, each student will meet with the offsite supervising attorney monthly to discuss that student’s externship experience.

Journal Entries: Students will be required to submit a journal entry following each class. Each journal entry shall be at least three (3) double-spaced pages or one and one-half (1 ½ ) single-spaced pages.

Paper Requirement: Students will have to submit a paper of publishable quality of at least 25 pages on a topic related to their placement OR work product(s) amounting to at least 25 pages of substantive material, accompanied by a brief explanation of the purpose of the work and the student’s research process. Approved work products are such documents as in-depth memos or briefs on legal issues.

Evaluations: The onsite supervising attorney must complete mid-term and final evaluations of the student’s performance. Students will also be required to complete mid-term and final evaluations about the placement sites and onsite supervising attorneys.